French police are desperate to retrieve priceless jewels stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery, but experts have warned it may already be too late to save them.
In Paris on Sunday, thieves broke into the world's most-visited museum, stealing eight valued items before escaping on scooters, in a daring heist that took about eight minutes.
Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC he feared the jewels may already be long gone, having been broken up into hundreds of parts.
It is highly likely the pieces will be sold for a fraction of their worth and smuggled out of France, other experts have said.
Who may be behind the heist
The group were professionals, Mr. Brand believes, as demonstrated by the fact they were in and out of the Louvre so quickly.
You know, as a normal person, you don't wake up in the morning thinking, I will become a burglar, let's start with the Louvre, he said.
In another sign the professionalism of the gang is being taken seriously, a specialist police unit with a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies has been tasked with tracking them down.
Authorities have said they suspect the heist is linked to an organized crime network.
Potential £10m price tag
Brand believes the stolen objects will be dismantled, and the gold and silver melted down. The beautiful large flawless stones would likely be sold, except perhaps for the crown from Empress Eugénie, which was too hot to handle and may explain why it was dropped during the escape.
The gems and gold stolen could fetch up to £10 million (€11.52m; $13.4m), according to experts. A skilled expert would be needed to remove larger, recognizable stones, while smaller stones could be sold immediately.
While hopes remain for the items' recovery, the days pass and the chances dwindle. Mr. Brand expresses skepticism about their intact future.
As Alexandre Leger, head of heritage at Maison Vever, put it: It's as if someone had stolen the Mona Lisa from us... Someone stole France.
